Kent Police investigate the scene of a crash that killed a pedestrian on Pacific Highway South. The driver of the vehicle who struck the pedestrian also hit a tree and another car before landing on its side. COURTESY PHOTO

Speeding motorist strikes, kills elderly pedestrian on Pac Highway

Kent Police are investigating the death of a 70-year-old Federal Way man who was struck by a speeding vehicle while walking on a sidewalk during Wednesday afternoon rush hour on Pacific Highway South.

The driver of the vehicle reportedly was seen speeding and weaving in and out of traffic in the 27000 block on southbound Pacific Highway South near the South 272nd Street intersection around 5:16 p.m. As the vehicle attempted to avoid colliding with another vehicle, it swerved toward the sidewalk, striking the man, police said. The vehicle then struck a tree, flipped, landed on the trunk of another vehicle and came to rest on its side.

The pedestrian was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died from his injuries, police said. The King County Medical Examiner’s office identified the victim as Benito Castillo Rojas.

A passenger in the speeding vehicle was injured and taken to a hospital. There was no information on the passenger’s condition.

The driver of the vehicle, a 21-year-old Federal Way man, suffered minor injuries. Officers arrested the man, with charges pending as traffic investigators continue to work the case, police said.